Eva Hampl – USCIBhttps://www.uscib.org
The Power to Shape Policy. The Power to Expedite Trade.Wed, 21 Feb 2018 14:49:51 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5Hampl Leads Group for NAFTA Lobby Day to Voice Concernshttps://www.uscib.org/hampl-prepares-for-next-round-of-nafta-talks-with-lobby-day/
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 20:33:19 +0000https://www.uscib.org/?p=25930With the next NAFTA negotiating round now set for Mexico City later this month, USCIB Director for Investment, Trade and Financial Services Eva Hampl joined more than 100 representatives from the business and agriculture community last Wednesday for a second NAFTA House Lobby Day. The Lobby Day gave business representatives the opportunity to talk about business concerns and perspectives regarding the ongoing negotiations to modernize NAFTA and to increase support on the leadup to the next round of negotiations, scheduled for February 26 to March 6.

Hampl led one of the groups on the Hill, which included representatives from other associations and companies from the business and agriculture community. “The diversity of sectors represented was extremely helpful in getting our message across,” said Hampl. “Our group alone met with 9 offices throughout the day, receiving generally positive feedback about supporting our issues and concerns, including potential interest in signing on to a House NAFTA letter.”

Hampl will be traveling to Mexico for part of the next round at the end of February.

]]>Politico Highlights Business at OECD Work on Colombia Accessionhttps://www.uscib.org/politico-highlights-business-at-oecd-work-on-colombia-accession/
Mon, 05 Feb 2018 17:45:48 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=25776In light of Secretary Tillerson’s upcoming trip to South America, Politico published an article highlighting unresolved concerns surrounding Colombia’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including on intellectual property and transparency.

USCIB has long been advocating on these issues, particularly through Business at OECD and most recently through a document, which Politico references.

“This important advocacy document, which contains pre-accession recommendations for issues Colombia should address before acceding to the OECD, to be included in the OECD Trade Committee’s Formal Opinion, was developed by BIAC, with significant USCIB input on US industry priority issues,” noted Eva Hampl, USCIB director of investment, trade and financial services.

]]>Business Cautiously Optimistic on NAFTA Talkshttps://www.uscib.org/business-cautiously-optimistic-on-nafta-talks/
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:16:00 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=25676The 6th round of NAFTA negotiations wrapped up yesterday with much progress being made on a technical level in several chapters, including in digital trade and telecom. USCIB Director for Investment, Trade and Financial Services Eva Hampl was on the ground during the talks in Montreal, coordinating with member companies and associations, and meeting with negotiators from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

“The anti-corruption chapter is now closed out and several others are close, but are stuck on a few remaining issues,” said Hampl. The four “poison pill” proposals, which refer to automobile rules of origin, investor-state dispute settlement, government procurement, and sunset provision remain contentious, though Canada and Mexico have presented new and creative ideas in an attempt to work within the U.S. proposals, according to Hampl.

In his Closing Statement, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer also acknowledged that some progress has been made, but that it is slow. He also highlighted some of the controversial issues, including the automobile rules of origin. Importantly, however, he noted that the United States is committed to moving forward with negotiations.

A delegation of the House Ways & Means Committee, including members from both sides of the aisle, arrived in Montreal on Friday and participated in a range of meetings and events. “Republicans and Democrats appear to be aligned in their opposition to NAFTA withdrawal,” noted Hampl. “To what extent such alignment will also translate into votes in the end remains to be seen, but the show of support was certainly important.”

USCIB will continue advocating for negotiations to progress in the right direction for U.S. business when they are expected to take place in Mexico City from February 26 to March 6.

]]>BIAC Issues Statement on Future OECD Accessionshttps://www.uscib.org/biac-issues-statement-on-future-oecd-accessions/
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 18:59:22 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=25577As more countries in Europe and Latin America apply for membership with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Business at OECD (BIAC) Executive Board issued a statement this week noting, in part, that a commitment to open markets should guide any decision to the opening of accession negotiations.

The letter emphasizes: “the accession process should encourage countries to improve their business environment and engage in the necessary reforms,” noting that “more than ever, business depends on an enabling environment to support trade and investment in global markets.”

The OECD has yet to respond to the applicant countries (Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania) as OECD enlargement on this scale raises important questions on the mission and governance of the organization. For countries that will receive a positive response, acceding to the OECD entails a multi-year review process where all 25 major OECD committees evaluate, in confidential sessions, the policies of the candidate country and the improvements it must make to fully apply the body of OECD instruments and standards.

USCIB Director for Investment, Trade and Financial Services Eva Hampl will be providing input on behalf of U.S. business into this process. “USCIB members have significant business interests in many of these markets,” said Hampl. “These future accession processes provide an opportunity to ensure a high standards and a level playing field for our companies.”

]]>USCIB Gears Up for NAFTA Talks in Montreal This Weekhttps://www.uscib.org/uscib-gears-up-for-nafta-talks-in-montreal-this-week/
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:40:36 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=25573The sixth round of NAFTA negotiations is taking place in Montreal, Canada this week with a concluding Ministerial scheduled for Monday, January 29. USCIB Director for Investment, Trade and Financial Services Eva Hampl will be traveling to Montreal tomorrow for meetings with negotiators and key officials. This round presents a great opportunity to push forward on many chapters vital to U.S. business, and make progress in the discussions surrounding the more controversial provisions that have been tabled.

As a lead up to the talks in Montreal, Hampl participated in the Senate Lobby Day on the Hill last week, speaking with a range of Republican and Democratic offices. Throughout the day, about 150 members of the NAFTA Coalition met with as many Senate offices as possible, raising business issues of concern.

“We emphasized the outstanding issues regarding the problematic proposals of a sunset clause, investor-state dispute settlement, auto rules of origin, and government procurement,” said Hampl. “We also made the point that there are many chapters that are making progress, including customs and digital trade, which are vital for business and should get closed out as soon as possible.”

]]>Business at OECD Calls for Action Against Corruptionhttps://www.uscib.org/business-at-oecd-calls-for-action-against-corruption/
Mon, 18 Dec 2017 18:43:06 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=25303While progress has been made in creating cultures of integrity, corruption continues to seriously affect economies. Marking the 20th anniversary of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, Business at OECD (BIAC) and USCIB affirm the importance of an integrated and effective approach in the fight against corruption, which is a global challenge and requires international cooperation.

“Corruption is a cancer for the global economy and seriously compromises the health and productivity of our economies and value chains across the globe. The legally binding standards of the Anti-Bribery Convention have clearly positioned the OECD as a leading force in the international fight against corruption,” said Dr. Klaus Moosmayer, chief compliance officer of Siemens and BIAC anti-corruption chair. Speaking at the OECD Roundtable on 20 years of the Anti-Bribery Convention, Moosmayer called on the OECD and governments to step up efforts and also address the demand side of bribery, recognize the compliance efforts of companies, and support voluntary self-disclosure. “We recognize the urgency of this agenda,” said Moosmayer. “The private sector should be considered as a key partner in this struggle.”

Hampl addressed the cost that corruption and bribery present to business and the important role the OECD plays to level the playing field in that regard. Specifically, companies from OECD countries, who have to comply with the OECD Anti-bribery Convention, compete with companies from non-OECD countries that are not subject to the same anti-bribery measures.

“This leads to unfair competition and can even create an environment favorable to corrupt practices,” warned Hampl. “U.S. companies of course have to comply with the FCPA, which means they spend a significant amount of resources on developing anti-corruption policies and compliance programs as well as training systems for employees so that they are well-equipped to withstand demands for corruption.”

]]>USCIB Supports UN Convention on Receivableshttps://www.uscib.org/uscib-supports-un-convention-on-receivables/
Fri, 15 Dec 2017 20:00:57 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=25293Last week, USCIB joined nine other trade associations to sign on to a letter to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in support for the United Nations Convention on the Assignment of Receivables in International Trade, asking the committee to move expeditiously toward its ratification.

Enactment of the convention would make it easier for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses to access additional financing from lenders based on their sales of goods and services to customers located in other countries that ratify the convention.

“The Receivables Convention is self-executing and would not change U.S. law in any material respect, because U.S. law already reflects the modern legal principles embodied in the convention,” said Eva Hampl, USCIB’s director for investment, trade and financial services. “We believe that U.S. ratification would prompt other countries to ratify as well, which will then make it easier for U.S. lenders to accommodate the financing needs of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, enabling them to compete more vigorously in the international marketplace and foster the growth of American jobs.”

No state or federal legislation is needed for executing the Convention so there is no cost to the U.S. government or taxpayers in ratifying it. Furthermore, experts from the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws participated fully in the formulation of the Convention and have determined that there would be no implementation issues in ratifying the Convention.

Through its Business at OECD (BIAC) affiliation, USCIB has been extensively involved in representing member interest in the OECD accession process of Colombia. USCIB’s Director for Investment, Trade and Financial Services Eva Hampl traveled to Paris last week with member companies and associations, to attend meetings with OECD officials and various OECD delegations. BIAC led the global business delegation in meetings with Ken Ash, OECD director for trade and agriculture, Nicola Bonucci, OECD director for legal affairs and coordinator for accession, Catalina Crane, high-level contact for Colombia’s OECD Accession Process, and delegation representatives from the United States, including Andrew Haviland, chargé d’affaires, as well as representatives from the European Union, United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and Mexico.

Colombia started the accession process in 2013. At present, 20 of the 23 OECD Committees have approved them for accession. The Committee dealing with our outstanding issues on pharmaceuticals, distilled spirits, and trucking is the OECD Trade Committee, which will meet again at the end of November. In terms of Trade Committee procedure, the OECD concluded the Market Openness Review (MOR) a few months ago, and are now a number of drafts into the so-called Formal Opinion. Once this Formal Opinion is approved, that concludes the process in the Trade Committee. OECD accession for Colombia won’t be concluded until all Committees independently approve them.

“Our current advocacy surrounds pre-accession recommendations, which we urged the OECD Trade Committee to include in the Formal Opinion,” said Hampl. “The concept of pre-accession requirements, as opposed to post-accession requirements, is a novelty in an OECD accession, rooted in past experience of the ineffectiveness of post-accession requirements, once the leverage of joining the OECD is gone. Accordingly, we view this ask as central to resolving our various business issues. We understand that several issues are currently covered in the confidential draft Formal Opinion as part of pre-accession recommendations, though it is not yet clear which of our issues are included in those.”

The next meeting of the OECD Trade Committee will be in April 2018. Given that Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos will leave office in May 2018, there is a high likelihood that a meeting will be called by the OECD before April to resolve any final issues, if the Formal Opinion is not finalized this month.

“USCIB acknowledges the importance of the Colombian market to our companies, but we also see the precedent Colombia can set for other countries from the region that have indicated an interest in joining the OECD, such as Argentina and Brazil,” added Hampl. “While no new processes have officially started, it is important to ensure that the high standards of the OECD are met by any country looking to join. We will aggressively continue our advocacy efforts as this accession process moves forward, to ensure that as many of our priority issues are resolved as possible before Colombia joins the OECD. “

]]>Hampl Addresses the Costs of Corruption and Bribery on Panelhttps://www.uscib.org/hampl-addresses-the-costs-of-corruption-and-bribery-on-panel/
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:16:37 +0000http://www.uscib.org/?p=24974USCIB’s Eva Hampl second from left. Photograph courtesy of Washington College of Law

Hampl addressed the cost that corruption and bribery present to business and the important role the OECD plays to level the playing field in that regard. Specifically, companies from OECD countries, who have to comply with the OECD Anti-bribery Convention, compete with companies from non-OECD countries that are not subject to the same anti-bribery measures.

“This leads to unfair competition and can even create an environment favorable to corrupt practices,” warned Hampl. “U.S. companies of course have to comply with the FCPA, which means they spend a significant amount of resources on developing anti-corruption policies and compliance programs as well as training systems for employees so that they are well-equipped to withstand demands for corruption.”

Other speakers at the event included Stuart Eizenstat, former domestic policy advisor, President Carter & U.S. Ambassador to the EU, Under Secretary of Commerce, Deputy Secretary of Treasury, Drago Kos, chair of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, as well as officials from the Department of Justice and anti-corruption experts from international and policy organizations.

The OECD Anti-bribery Convention is a landmark instrument addressing the bribery of foreign officials. The OECD, with its multi-disciplinary nature, has the capacity to take a coordinated approach to the right against corruption. While we commend the work the OECD has already done in this space, there are several issues where USCIB advocates for further work to be done: (1) Increased adherence to the Convention, particularly b G20 countries; (2) Increased efforts to address the demand side of bribery (i.e. bribe solicitation and extortion by public officials); (3) More measures to facilitate voluntary self-disclosure; and (4) Addressing the growing complexity and costs of complying with multiple anti-bribery regimes by promoting clarity and greater international consistency.

Additionally, Hampl also attended the event No Turning Back: 40 Years of the FCPA and 20 Years of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention. The agenda included speakers from various U.S. government offices that play an integral part enforcing the FCPA, OECD officials, foreign government officials, representatives from academia and international institutions, as well as the private sector, including General Electric and Citibank. The keynote address to kick off the event was given by Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco.

Eva Hampl, USCIB’s director for investment, trade and financial services was in Paris last week representing USCIB at a special roundtable at the OECD on Integrity, the Fight Against Corruption and Responsible Business Conduct in the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Sector.

As a discussant on the issue of transparency, Hampl noted that SOEs are increasing in global commerce, where 22% of the world’s largest 100 firms are effectively under state control. “As SOEs proliferate, they disadvantage companies operating without state support or control,” warned Hampl.

The OECD Foreign Bribery Report, which was published December 2014 and is based on data from the 427 foreign bribery cases that have been concluded since the entry into force of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in 1999, found that bribes were offered or given most frequently to employees of SOEs at 27% of the total cases.

“SOEs are particularly vulnerable to corruption due to factors such as a close relationship between government, politicians and the SOE senior management, and in some cases lack of transparency and reporting,” said Hampl. In addition to the foreign bribery report, OECD research has found that 43 % of SOE employees surveyed have witnessed corruption and other rule-breaking in their company in the last three years.

“Corruption is a cost, also for SOEs,” Hampl added. “The OECD has stated that disclosure and transparency are some of the main concerns regarding market distortions caused by SOEs – the other concern is that SOEs are acting as agents of a sovereign government. The focus on transparency, in which space the OECD has done further work, is certainly important, however with the caveat that in the case of leveling the playing field as to SOEs, it is not a goal in itself.”

Hampl added that there has been a concerning global trend in recent years toward transferring liability from governments onto companies. “This is something that needs to be addressed. To truly level the playing field between SOEs and companies competing in the global market, SOEs must be held to the same standards.”

Following the roundtable, Hampl also participated in the consultation with the OECD Working Party on State Ownership and Privatization Practices, where she reiterated many of the points made at the roundtable, as well as emphasized the importance of the OECD to focus on the demand side of bribery.

Additionally, on the afternoon of Wednesday November 29, USCIB Vice President for Trade and Financial Services Shaun Donnelly will offer business perspectives on a panel discussion on “The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention at 20: Successes and Challenges for the Future” organized by the Coalition for Integrity on the margins of their annual gala dinner later that evening. Panelists being finalized but those invited include: Lucinda Low, member, Board of Directors, Coalition for Integrity, Nicola Bonucci (OECD) and Bruce Swartz, Department of Justice.